Induction
by xsplashofcolorx
Summary: Emery didn't know what to think of Red Fountain. Sure, the adventures that her brother had written about in his letters sounded amazing, but she always had wondered what it would be like to go there. Now, through way too many stubborn arguments and single-handed protests, she and the school board had finally come to an agreement. First FanFic :) Tell me what you think!


Emery didn't know what to think of Red Fountain. Sure, the adventures that her brother had written about in his letters sounded amazing, but she always had wondered what it would be like to go there. Now, through way too many stubborn arguments and single-handed protests, she and the school board had finally come to an agreement.

She was made a probationary student at the college. As the first female student there, she had to earn her way in. And maybe if she made a good enough impression, they would allow other girls in the magic universe to train there. But first, she had to make it past induction.

Maybe it was a little intimidating, but all Emery could think about as the students lined up in front of the school for trials were the heaping amount of tall, extremely well-built guys. She shrunk further into her over-sized armor. Beside her, two blondes were whispering to each other and staring at her, clearly confused. She set her jaw and stood a little taller. Well, as much as she could for the barely 5 feet she had in height.

Suddenly, a horn sounded to her left and an old man hobbled forward. Everyone was silent as he took his place facing the many rows of students. Headmaster Saladin was the first member of the school board who had supported her after hearing her cause, and the main reason all of this was possible. Hopefully she wouldn't let him down.

"Welcome to Red Fountain!" A thousand voices cheered at the sound of their school, and Emery's was one of them. Headmaster Saladin raised his voice and the crowd quieted once more, "As many of you are already aware, you are here today to prove your worth to this school, and to Magix. I look forward to watching your many successes today, as I am confident in each and every one of your abilities. Before I give the stage to Professor Codatorta to commence the trials, I leave you all with a word of advice: Heroes are those that know their weaknesses and overcome it anyway."

Applause rose up again by everyone in the stadium, except for Emery. She was too focused on understanding his words. She had many weaknesses, that was why she was here, but how could she overcome every last one of them? Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Emery paid her attention to the new speaker. She scowled immediately at the sight of him. He had openly embarrassed her in front all the higher ups of the schools, the main reason for all of the superficial deals they had to make.

Rolling her eyes, she thought back to how completely idiotic Professor Codatorta was. He had no right to assume she was here for boys. In fact, the main reason Emery had left Allorea was to get away from them.

"But there is still real danger, as the holograms are programmed to fight back," his voice boomed from the front. She scolded herself for not focusing on the task at hand and listened closely. "It should be a simple and effective way to recognize who is and who isn't ready to become a hero," Professor Codatorta glared at the students, causing several shudders and a few whimpers to be emitted. Emery just glared back.

"We'll start with the first row and continue from there. I suggest you think over your tactics and techniques before your turn is up." Finally, he turned and gestured for the first row to follow him as he yelled, "Let the trials begin!"

The horn sounded again and Emery's row moved forward. Now, standing where the first students used to be, worry started to weigh down her stomach. What if she failed miserably? Where would she go next? Everything seemed perfect when she had read this master plan of her brother's, back in her home realm, but now she wondered how much she had thought this through.

Ever since her brother left, she had snuck out of lessons to train in his abandoned chambers. He took his sword with him but left behind two carved replicas in its place, as well as his hunting bow. It became daily practice for her, until she was forced to run away. Emery was shaken from her thoughts as a shaking brown haired boy squeaked, "Why is he smirking at us?"

She looked up to see Professor Codatorta returning. How had the first row finished so soon?

"We're so dead…," she heard someone to the right muttering.

"Second row, come with me," he ordered. They all followed suit. Emery gulped and tried to gather her dignity, mustering a little courage along the way. As they reached the stadium, she held her head high, all the while quivering in fear. Looking around her at the sheer size of the place, she noticed the stands. They were filled to the brim with thousands of students and teachers who were somehow interested in watching this soon to be disaster. She wondered if her brother was watching.

Then, she recognized some of the first year students sitting on front row seats, looking tired and weary but victorious all the same. She counted them and was amazed to find that they had all passed, sparking some hope in her after all.

Professor Codatorta then led them each to their separate hologram pads, meanwhile giving her a burning look. After successfully placing each of them, he walked towards a weapon rack not far from the hologram pads and began to hand out swords to each, speaking to them all the while, "The sword is the emblem of Red Fountain. It represents honor, virtue, and strength. All three of these you must earn to become a hero. In order to pass this trial and secure a place at Red Fountain, you must use a sword to defeat your enemy."

He dropped the sword into Emery's arms and she struggled to carry it, causing laughter to erupt from her fellow students. Any hope she had of passing disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"Good luck and I hope you are all prepared," Professor Codatorta said gloomily as he backed away. Emery panicked as she tried to lift the hilt, clearly not strong enough to hold it up. Suddenly, the hologram crackled to life.

At first, all that appeared were fat digitalized legs that were as high as Emery's stomach. Then the body appeared. It made the legs look even smaller, as they somehow supported the giant mass on top of them. Two arms followed, even fatter than the rest, and a yellowish tint was visible on the skin. When she thought the horrid hologram had finally finished its design, it began to create armor all over it, leaving it virtually impenetrable from the front and side.

Through her panic, Emery thought back to Headmaster Saladin's words, trying to encourage herself and focus. "_Heroes are those that know their weaknesses and overcome it anyway." _She knew it had to have something to do with this battle, or he wouldn't have said it. She looked down at the tip of her sword lying pitifully on the ground and already knew hers. All she had to do was figure out how to overcome it.

Suddenly a chorus of roars echoed from their holograms, who looked a thousand times more lifelike than before. Hers gave her a bloodthirsty look, and charged. Emery tried again in vain to lift the sword, but it wouldn't budge and the monster was getting closer. Then she was struck with an idea. It wasn't just her weakness she had to overcome, it was her enemy's!

Before she could celebrate her deduction, she was knocked in the air by a humongous fist. She landed on her back with a resounding '_THUD' _and groaned in pain. The monster's feet picked up again and Emery knew she had to move quickly. Ignoring the searing ache in her shoulder, she stood up and looked past the charging monster at the weapon rack, where swords were hung unattended. She smirked and dodged the monster's next swing, formulating a plan.

Sliding between its feet, she noticed the legs were left unarmored. When the beast finally turned around, it snarled and gnashed its grotesque teeth. "Come on…uh...Blob! Bet you can't catch me!" It chased her towards the racks of weapons until she suddenly stopped and ducked, sticking out a sturdy leg beside her.

With a shrieking cry the monster fell onto an abundant amount of swords. Emery winced at the sound of crashing metal, but stood proudly all the same as the hologram disappeared. She threw her hands in the air and exclaimed, "I did it!"

But her smile quickly fell when she turned around to see the face of Professor Codatorta, who was not at all happy.


End file.
